


Men at Work

by KitKaos, steffilinos



Category: Arashi (Band)
Genre: Fic Exchange, M/M, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-14
Updated: 2014-10-14
Packaged: 2018-02-21 04:00:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2453933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KitKaos/pseuds/KitKaos, https://archiveofourown.org/users/steffilinos/pseuds/steffilinos
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Sometimes he was under the impression that showering to Sho was just a means to get or stay clean and something to get over with as soon as possible. Sure, a bath was always preferable, but one shouldn’t underestimate a hot shower to unwind and feel refreshed.” </p><p>All Jun had wanted was to take a nice hot shower and maybe spend some quality time with his boyfriend – but the night turned out quite differently than planned.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Men at Work

**Author's Note:**

  * For [munchuuu](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=munchuuu).



> This was written for munchuuu during the junexchange. This is purely a work of fiction and no money was made with it. Arashi still belongs to Arashi and no copyright infringement was intended.

Mirror and glass were already fogging up when Jun finally stepped under the hot stream of water, closing his eyes and enjoying the wet warmth lulling him in. It had been a long day; tomorrow would be even longer with meetings, an interview and the recording of the newest VS Arashi episode – but he wouldn’t think about that right now. Sometimes you just had to go on autopilot, enjoy the small moments of peace that life had to offer.

For a second or two, he just stood there; feeling the water first dampen, then soak his dark curls, straightening them out in the process. Droplets hit his broad shoulders, were running down his neck, tracing his spine and gathering at the small of his back before vanishing between his cheeks or continuing their journey south down his thighs.

He wouldn’t even complain that he had to shower alone, with Mr. Workaholic still memorizing every tiny fact he and the staff had unearthed about tomorrow’s guest. It was one thing to prepare for a job, it was another to overdo it. His loss…

Blindly, Jun reached for his beloved Love Juice, a.k.a. his favorite shampoo smelling of kiwi, mango and pineapple – just to find it empty. Again. Arrrrrrrgh, this was. Just. So. Typical!

“Sho! Have you used up my shampoo?”

Perfect, just perfect! How many times did he have to tell him to just use his own products? Or to at least replace the ones he was sneaking from Jun. It sure as hell wasn’t his fault that Sho would just grab the first shampoo he laid his hands on. No!

Sometimes he was under the impression that showering to Sho was just a means to get or stay clean and something to get over with as soon as possible. Sure, a bath was always preferable, but one shouldn’t underestimate a hot shower to unwind and feel refreshed. To treat oneself, in a way. That was why Jun insisted on buying expensive moisturizing, revitalizing shampoo, conditioner as well as shower gel. Hair gel, skin cream, etc. as well, but that wasn’t the point. The point was that Sho was using Jun’s shampoo and didn’t even actually appreciate it for what it was.

And he didn’t leave any for Jun; just empty bottles to be refilled on his next visit to the store. So what was he to do? Kill his boyfriend, maybe. At least think up some kind of punishment…

When Jun suddenly heard a rumble inside the wall behind him, followed by spluttering and rattling noises that didn’t sound reassuring at all. Before he had enough time to process the sound, let alone react, brownish water started splattering out of the expensive rainforest shower only he fully knew how to appreciate.

“Whoaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. Sho! Shooooo!”

Ignoring the fact that Sho probably couldn’t change a thing about the water’s bleak condition he started screaming his boyfriend’s name as he jumped out of the shower. You could call it reflex or whatever you wanted.

At least, you had to give the shampoo thief some credit for making it from living room to bathroom in less than three seconds, looking a little panicked and ready to fight, remote control in hand. “What? What happened?”

If he hadn’t been drenched in whatever had been and was still coming out of their shower head, Jun would have laughed – did Sho expect to find a thief in their bathroom? “Are you… do you think a remote control is a weapon or what?”

Jun shook his head in disbelief, then in anger as Sho started laughing at the sight of him and turned the shower off.

“Give me some credit here, will ya? I improvised…”

Jun scowled around the towel he had grabbed and was now wiping his face with. “I thought you were working? Poetic justice would have been a pen. If you were just watching TV you could have joined me in the shower, you know?” Ewww, whatever that brown gunk had been, it smelled like ancient plaster and rust. He folded the towel and kept on rubbing at his face and hair with the dry side.

Sho seemed to find his efforts highly amusing, if the broad grin on his face was any indication. “And we’d both be drenched with muddy whatever-that-brew-was,” he half-laughed, but gave his boyfriend a placating peck on the nose. “No, the remote was just the first thing I came across. Go wash up and I’ll make us some tea, how about that?”

“Fine,” Jun grumbled and with a sigh turned on the water in the sink.

Within seconds, the steady flow had become mere droplets. More gurgling, rattling and sputtering noises. This time, Jun knew and jumped back instantly, pulling Sho with him.

The noises stopped and nothing happened, making Jun look even more like an idiot than he already did and Sho’s grin even wider. “You could at least pretend to feel sorry for me.”

“And lie to you? Never!” Laughing, he gave Jun’s behind a slap and left the bathroom, leaving Jun. Impossible. This guy was just…

“How am I supposed get clean now?” Shouldn’t he be at least a bit worried that muddy brown water was coming out of their pipes? And didn’t this whole relationship thing include a sympathy clause? “Sho?!”

“Don’t you have a million bottles of magic water I’m not supposed to drink because I don’t fully appreciate its powers occupying half the fridge.” By the sound of it, Sho was already back in their living room parking his lazy ass on the couch. Great, just great.

“Oxygenated water, it’s oxygenated water! Do you have any idea what just one bottle costs? To use it as…”

“I do, 2,000 Yen. And excuse me, I still think that’s insane!”

With an exasperated eye-roll, he decided not to continue this conversation all across the apartment and at the top of their voices. “Your problem, not mine,” Jun grumbled. He was feeling dirtier by the second, and definitely not in a good way. Wrapping a fresh towel around his waist, he made his way to the kitchen to see if maybe the tap in there was working and providing him with clean water to wash himself.

His way did lead him through the living room, but at the moment Jun could hardly care less whether his oh-so-caring boyfriend was paying him any attention or not. Out of the corner of his eye, though, he thought he did catch Sho sneaking a glance at his naked body, and his mood brightened – not by much, but at least a fraction.

The kitchen sink was cluttered with dirty dishes, darkening Jun’s mood that tiny fraction he had just won again. Of course, they were both busy with their jobs and bad workaholics, but that didn’t mean their apartment had to become a downright mess, even if it was officially Sho’s place and not his.

“So when did you plan on doing the dishes?” he couldn’t keep from asking, already turning the tap.

Only to hear it rattle and gurgle just like the others. Fuck!

Just as he was going over to the fridge – let no one say Matsumoto Jun wasn’t practically-minded – Sho entered the kitchen.

“You do realize I’m working, right?” was all his boyfriend had to say in his defense – thereby technically not answering Jun’s question – but he did start putting the dirty dishes in the dish washer. Why he seemed to be unable to not take the detour by the sink and always needed a reminder was something Jun would probably never understand. For someone so well-organized at work, Sho was incredibly chaotic and messy at home – Jun wouldn’t believe it if he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes. On a daily basis.

“Do you realize that there’s something wrong with the water?” Jun snapped back, realizing only a little too late that his words came out harsher than intended. “We might need to call someone.”

“Just let it run a little. I think they did something to the pipes today. Didn’t we get a flyer in the mail?” 

Gasping, Jun couldn’t believe what he had just heard. “You knew? Sho, when were you planning on telling me? After the shower or after brushing my teeth?”

“What? It’s there on the counter.” Sho gestured to a pile of newspapers in their kitchen as if it were any explanation, let alone an excuse.

“And just because I’m finished with work today, I have the time to look through the heaps of flyers and ads?” Too bad he was out of luck and there wasn’t any of Sho’s cheap water in the fridge, so whether he liked it or not, he had to take a bottle of his precious oxygenized water, telling himself that it would probably be just as effective used externally. Of course he didn’t believe that, but what the hell. If he didn’t want to stay dirty and stinky, he had to do something, and fast. He wouldn’t let that brown brew near him again. “You really could have just told me,” he sighed glumly.

“I really thought you knew…” Sho at least had the decency to look like he was sorry.

Putting the last dish in the machine, he closed it and walked over to Jun to kiss and make up. Quite literally. If he weren’t just so cute, he would…

“Hey!” Jun stopped his train of thought as Sho was avoiding any real contact except for the lips – the one part of Jun’s body he had already cleaned with his precious water. Impossible, this guy was just… impossible. 

“C’mon, I’ll help you get cleaned up – or we try to get the water back to normal. I bet we just have to keep it running for a while and then I might even consider joining you in the shower, that a deal?”

“Who says I still want you to join me?” Crossing his arms, Jun tried his very best to stay mad at Sho. He sure deserved it.

“Tell me I’m wrong.”

Sho also deserved being told he wouldn’t be welcome in the shower, especially with that damn smirk on his face Jun would have loved to just wipe off at that very moment. But they both knew too well that there were very few things that could beat showering together. Fuck!

“Don’t get cocky,” he had to suppress an amused grin. “Let’s first get this thing sorted, then we’ll see if I’m in the mood to let you into my shower.”

Turning the tap on again and watching it intently stutter into a few dry burps, followed by more time just ticking down, Sho seemed to only half pay attention to Jun’s words. “Yeah, right…”

Jun’s brow furrowed. His boyfriend was supposed to say something like, ‘so now it’s your shower?’ and not just turn to ignoring him. All practicality aside, it was harsh when he was just being ignored. Maybe he was a high-maintenance relationship sometimes, but they both got a lot out of it, didn’t they? Almost with a pout, he announced, “I’m getting cleaned up.” And added, a little more hopeful, “Join me?”

“Uh-huh…” Sho nodded, clearly not following Jun to the bathroom, with his eyes fixed on the tap. They both sighed in relief when – finally – water started coming out of it, first just as brownish and disgusting as the something Jun had been sprayed with in the shower, then getting clearer by the second. Still, they would have to clean the filter later, but top priority was the shower.

“Erm, you know when I say join me, I mean sex, right?” Of course, this got him Sho’s attention. Jun allowed himself a triumphant little grin. “So, you coming?”

It was almost comical how quickly Sho turned off the water and followed him out of the kitchen and into the bathroom. There, though, he remained standing in the door, leaning against the frame and watching Jun intently.

“What, you’re seriously gonna stand there until I’m clean?” Jun raised an eyebrow at him.

“Yep,” Sho nodded, not even trying to come up with a good excuse. “May I advise you to keep the water running first, though?”

Sighing, Jun just rolled his eyes, deciding it was probably best to ignore Sho. He knew what he was like when he was in one of his moods, thinking he was exceptionally funny when he clearly was not. Better not encourage him any further. He would make sure to put on a good show, to keep him waiting for as long as he deemed appropriate after all the snarky wise-ass comments and for using up all of his shampoo. Some people just had to learn the hard way, simple as that.

Deliberately slowly, Jun let his towel slip from his hips and fall to the floor, well aware that dear Keio Boy sometimes got his brains in his balls, and moved over to the sink to wash his hands first…

…or rather watch brown water slowly turn see-through again.

“You got a drama shoot soon?”

Not answering, Jun just smiled to himself. Apparently Sho didn’t have eyes for work only but had noticed him packing up a little. Good, very good, his ego could do with a bit of a boost. He was about to forgive Sho for all the stupid remarks earlier when he felt an arm around his stomach and was pulled closer to the other man’s body…

…but the sink had to put an end to it. More strange noises could be heard from within the wall and the jet of water suddenly stopped. There was no way this could be normal. 

Cursing, Sho let go of him and started playing with the faucets – without the desired result. 

“Believe me now?” Jun grabbed the towel from the floor and put it back around his hips. “I told you there’s something wrong with the pipes or whatever. Feel free to apologize anytime you want, I’m all ears.”

“Shhhhh,” Sho stopped him with an impatient wave and continued listening intently. “You hear that?”

Crossing his arms, Jun was tempted to just leave the bathroom but joined in on listening instead. There was… what was that? Sounded like… dripping water. Oh great.

“Sho, down here,” Jun gestured to the small puddle of water that was slowly building under the sink. Where it was coming from or what was causing it, especially now that they had turned off the tap, he didn’t know. If he didn’t know any better, he would even say it came straight out of the wall.

It was more of a hunch than anything else, but this didn’t feel right. Something was up, more than just the fact that they had done some kind of work on the pipes in the building. He exchanged a worried glance with his boyfriend, before both their hands slowly reached out to touch the tiles, cool and damp under the pads of their fingers.

“You think this could be…?” Jun’s mind was racing. He still smelled of the brown brew and felt anything but clean. He was hunched underneath the sink, with nothing but a towel around his hips. He had planned for a nice long shower, maybe – hopefully – sex with his boyfriend of five years, and a good night’s rest before another busy day. He could see all that going up in smoke before his very eyes in a matter of seconds. Just great!

By now, Sho was leaning precariously close to the damp tiles, his ear pressed to them. “Remember the time you laughed at me for buying a toolbox via home-shopping?”

Even now, Jun couldn’t help but roll his eyes at the reminder. Sho had been home sick and tucked into bed – doctor’s orders – and had discovered home-shopping. After one weekend, they had had a juicer, an ice machine, new knives as well as a toolbox standing around, the latter of which was currently collecting dust up in the attic.

“Sho, you’re no plumber, I think we’d better call in a pro.” As much as he loved the man kneeling beside him, he also knew him well enough to not trust him with anything that required fine motor skills.

But Sho was already scrambling to his feet and leaving the room to get said toolbox.

For the umpteenth time that day, Jun sighed as his eyes followed his boyfriend. This was going to be a long night. And he still felt dirty, but didn’t dare use the shower at the moment, not after what they had just witnessed. He didn’t want to risk either getting more of the brown gunk on his body or standing there with his hair shampooed but without any water to rinse it off.

So for the time being, he would try to figure out what was wrong with their water so he could make the right kind of calls. Carefully, he tried loosening the masking tiles to get a look at the pipes. It took a while until he was able to insert his fingers into the groove enough to be able to pull at the thing, but eventually, he got the cover off.

Well, sometimes you just didn’t want to see what was happening ‘backstage’. The little hollow was by no means air proof and the sheer amount of spider webs and dust was enough to make him scrunch up his nose in disgust. But at least the culprit was soon found, as water was steadily dripping from one of the pipes.

It didn’t look like much, but Jun would still feel way better if anybody but Sho took care of it – even if that meant he would have to hide his stuff and get rid of all the pictures on the wall that gave any indication he and Sho were dating.

Although the two of them had been a couple for the better part of five years now, they still hadn’t told anybody but their families. Not even their colleagues knew. It had been too difficult to draw a line who to tell and who to leave in the dark – plus the more people knew about them, the bigger the risk of their relationship finding its way into the press, and they could both do without that.

By now, they had gotten used to all of the secrecy this relationship entailed. In the beginning, they had fought more often than not, not wanting to give the public any reason to suspect anything on the one hand, but also not wanting to sacrifice anything on the other. Sometimes it had looked like they wouldn’t make it, like their problems outweighed the good times, even to them. But they had overcome everything that had been thrown at them, not least of all their families’ objections, and Jun was more than a little proud of that fact.

Which didn’t mean that they wouldn’t still fight over details sometimes. They were both headstrong personalities, after all.

Like now that Jun could hear the soft clinking sounds of the toolbox Sho was carrying. It was brand new. It had never been used. Did Sho seriously think he was Mister Toolman personified? Still, the proud can-do attitude visible in his whole demeanor as he re-entered the bathroom was positively adorable.

“Who’s laughing now?”

Jun just had to get up and give this dork a kiss – always better than telling him he didn’t trust Sho with tools. But he was willing to give him thirty minutes to prove himself and have fun before Jun would call in the pros. What could Sho possibly do in thirty minutes?

“Give me some time to get dressed and I’ll help you, okay?” Giving Sho an affectionate kiss on the nose, Jun left the bathroom to find the oldest T-Shirt and sweatpants his part of the wardrobe had to offer. Too bad he had thrown Sho’s horrible fake denims away already, they sure would have come in handy now. But then again, Jun would rather be found naked than in that horrible fashion faux-pas…

By the time he returned, wearing a stretched-out shirt and ugly shorts his sister had given him last Christmas, Sho was already lying under the sink comparing the pipes to a picture on his iPhone.

“Find anything?” Jun squatted next to him, giving the whole scene a once over.

Sho nodded absently, obviously trying to make heads or tails out of what he had found on the Internet. If Jun knew him, it was some kind of ‘the handy bachelor’s do-it-yourself guide to laying pipes – no pun intended’ site. “I hope it’s not too late and there aren’t any water stains on the neighbors’ ceiling yet. I’ll need some sort of cloth and a 24-inch pipe wrench…”

He held out his hand holding the iPhone to Jun, clearly expecting him to do… something.

“What?”

“Well, you either hold the phone or you hand me what I need.” Jun would have protested if Sho didn’t sound like Jun really could pick whichever option he preferred – except for the scenario where they just called a craftsman.

“And you think I know what a 24-inch pipe wrench looks like because…?”

“So phone it is.” Sighing, Sho handed Jun the phone and turned to search his toolbox for the desired wrench.

“If it weren’t for the Internet you wouldn’t know what it looks like either, so don’t act all high and mighty, Mister.” Jun was joking, despite his words, and enjoyed the full view he got of Sho’s behind while his boyfriend was bent over the box. One had to make the best of every situation, right?

Soon, he was joined by Sho under the sink again, who seemed to have found whatever he considered to be the 24-inch pipe wrench. The moment of truth.

“Could you hand me the towel over there?”

“Already holding the phone.” Sho had just set himself up for that one and it was way too good to pass up on.

“Jun!” 

Snickering, Jun reached over and pulled at the towel to hand it to Sho. “You don’t even look half bad doing this, actually,” he commented.

“Was that supposed to be a compliment?”

Jun allowed himself a couple of seconds before he nodded. “I guess.”

What he got for an answer was barely contained pride as Sho turned and beamed at him. “You shouldn’t just guess. I told you I can fix it. So what’s the next thing it says in the instructions?”

“Well,” Jun scrolled around on the small screen, looking for the point in the step-by-step they were at. “You need to pull here…” Pointing to one bolt attached to the pipe, Jun compared the inside of the wall with the pictures on the phone.

“Okay.” Sho shifted a little to gain better access to their very own ‘construction site’, flexing his muscles as he tried to loosen the bolt…

…when another gurgle gave them a millisecond of a heads up before more muddy brown water started spurting from the pipe, drenching both of them in the disgusting brew.

“Fuck! Didn’t you turn off the water first?” Trying to flee as quickly as he could, Jun bumped his head on the sink and was seeing stars for a few seconds before he finally got out of the water’s way.

“Now, who’s reading the instructions?”

“Who’s gone ahead and just started without thinking?! How was I supposed to know you hadn’t turned off the water?” Jun shot back, still rubbing his aching head. Without waiting for an answer, he got up and went to the kitchen to get some ice from the freezer he could keep the bruise from swelling with.

At that exact moment, he didn’t even care that he was leaving wet footprints all the way across the apartment. He got himself an icepack and pressed it to his hurting head, eyes closed. Fucking idiot. Fucking pipes! He had only wanted to take a shower and now he was drenched in muddy gunk that had probably been stewing inside their walls for ages. Fucking perfect!

Ignoring Sho’s curses from the bathroom, Jun picked up the phone and first googled, then called a professional to come over and take care of things. This was what they should have done right from the start. Sho could claim that he was perfectly capable of repairing their sink all he wanted; Jun already started collecting everything suspicious hinting to their relationship to make the apartment visitor-ready before packing their bags for a night out.

~*~

“You know, I would have fixed it if you’d just let me.”

It was Sho who finally broke the silence after they hadn’t talked for the past thirty minutes. The problem with his boyfriend was not only his stubbornness but also his foolish pride. He would probably still be sitting in a soaking wet bathroom making things worse than they already were – but of course he was the bad guy for calling help.

“Uh-huh.” Not in the mood for another argument, Jun just nodded his head and continued looking out of the window.

“I know you don’t believe me, but that’s the way it is. Once we had the water turned off…”

“You’re speeding. Could you please stop? The last thing I want is a picture of us drenched and shitty-clothed caught on some traffic camera.”

Sho just huffed, once more retreating to silence, but at least he was slowing down a bit. The prospect of being stopped and pulled over by the police wasn’t all that appealing to him either, Jun guessed, even if Sho rarely seemed to care as much about the way he dressed.

They were on the way to Jun’s apartment – or rather, the place he was keeping to keep up appearances. No signs of Sho, no shared memories, no warmth like at the other apartment. Just sleek design; an alibi to show the rest of the world, nothing else, in his mind. Admittedly, in situations like this, it did come in handy – this way, they would at least get some sleep.

“Are you sure you took off all the pictures?”

“Yes.” Jun was nothing if not meticulous.

“Even the one on my desk?”

“Yes.”

“What about the laundry?”

“If you’re so worried, maybe you should have helped me instead of trying to fix the pipes and only making things worse,” he snapped, nerves frayed.

“If you hadn’t called a plumber, there would have been no need to clean up the apartment,” Sho shot back, refusing to look at Jun, but fixed his eyes on the road instead.

Great, just great! It looked like he was in for quite the comfy drive home – another twenty minutes.

“You know what, you can sulk all you want, we both know you’ve only made things worse and needed help from someone who actually knew what he was doing. Besides, we both have to get up early in the morning and I take it you’d like to get some sleep just as much as I do. So no need to thank me, just stop whining.” Making a point, Jun crossed his arms and also refused to look at the dickhead in the driver’s seat.

“I’m not whining,” Sho’s voice was flat, which Jun had learned meant he was sulking all right. “I’m just sick and tired of getting rid of all of your stuff every time there’s someone at the apartment. If you had let me finish the repairs or maybe even helped me instead of packing up, we could already be catching some much-needed shut-eye, you know.”

“Yeah, right. Dirty, stinky shut-eye. No thanks,” Jun grumbled back. Sho should know him well enough to know at least that much about him: he wouldn’t go to bed like this, no matter what, and even if he did, that he wouldn’t be able to sleep. Neither would Sho, for that matter.

Yet again, there was an uncomfortable silence between them, until Sho turned on the radio. Jun found himself not really listening to the news and instead pointedly looking out the window. Why was it that Sho had to be so pigheaded…

At least this break in the conversation helped him cool off a little – and when he heard the radio being turned off again with a quiet click, he looked at Sho in surprise.

“Not in the mood,” was the gloomy explanation he got, when he hadn’t even asked.

“So we’re doing this for real? The whole silent treatment, really? You’re acting like a four-year-old and a spoiled one at that.”

Jun almost lost it when he saw Sho monkeying him whenever he thought Jun didn’t look. “You know what, I don’t think **you** are sleeping in **my** bed tonight. All I did was do the right thing and you’re acting like… I don’t know, but most certainly not like a grown-up.”

Sho didn’t comment on that but simply turned the radio back on, a little louder this time.

“Fine, perfect, just… forget it. You know what, I’m not talking to you either.”

If only Jun had brought something to read… Although he knew well enough that he wouldn’t be able to concentrate on it anyway. So with a deep sigh, he just leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes. Hopefully, they would be there soon; this was honestly getting ridiculous.

The sounds from passing cars outside, the chirping noises of green pedestrian lights… it all blurred in his head. Jun wasn’t tired at all, too much adrenaline still flowing through his body. But he wasn’t able to just concentrate either.

Of their own accord, his ears started picking up the soft rustling of fabric in the driver’s seat next to him, Sho’s breathing, his soft humming from time to time when he agreed with the newscasters’ opinion. He probably didn’t even realize himself that he was doing it, but Jun had noticed this small detail pretty early on in their relationship – and it still brought a small smile to his lips, no matter how mad he was at Sho. It was one of those precious few adorable little things that belonged only to the two of them.

“Are you still mad?” he asked quietly, head still leaned back and eyes still closed.

“Un.”

That equaled yes. Great, just great! Why did he even bother holding out his hand when he knew fully well that Sho was just the most stubborn person that walked the earth.

“You know what, sometimes, when you act like that, I think that maybe your dad refused to visit us for so long not because he was uncomfortable but because you were acting like a spoiled brat when you told him.”

Yeah, this was below the belt, but he was tired and… and Sho had provoked him. Still, he felt bad the moment he said the words out loud, knowing fully well this touchy subject never failed to hit its mark.

“Sho-chan, I’m so…”

“Let’s… let’s just not talk, okay? We’ll be there in ten minutes.” 

Ten minutes? Torture!

~*~

Twelve endlessly long minutes later, Jun kicked off his shoes, dropped his keys on the small sideboard by the door and headed straight for the bathroom. At that very moment, he couldn’t care less what Sho was doing. All he wanted was to finally feel clean again – everything else would have to wait.

Sho had kept on sulking and he had known better than to try again. Maybe they would be able to talk things out in the morning, like adults, reasonably and calmly – because the way things looked, this wouldn’t be resolved tonight. As much as Sho had gotten better when it came to anger management, when he was in one of his moods, even Jun wasn’t quite able to reach him. Maybe that fact hurt more than everything else.

The force with which he threw the dirty clothes into the laundry basket was maybe uncalled for, but frustration was seeping through and who could blame him. A nice hot shower would help to clear his head, he knew.

He didn’t take as long as he had intended to back at home – their real home – and he had already kissed the idea of Sho joining him goodbye. But he was clean again, didn’t smell like whatever had come out of their pipes at home and was ready to face Sho again.

The moment Jun stepped out of the bathroom, though, Sho was rushing past him and had already locked the door from the inside before Jun could react. Ouch!

As if that wasn’t enough, Jun was in for another unpleasant surprise when he entered the clean living room only to find pillow and blanket already lying on the sofa. True, he had been the one who had told Sho to sleep on the couch, but him actually doing it hurt nonetheless.

For a brief moment, he was tempted to knock at the bathroom door and take Sho to task – but he dropped the idea and stomped to their – his – bedroom instead. Stubborn old dickhead! Not that he would get much sleep, Jun knew, but what the hell, right? If Sho could sit this out, so could he.

So he changed into clean pajamas, got himself a bottle of water he put on the nightstand, set the alarm, took off his glasses and… For a second, he was tempted to at least call out a ‘Good night’ to Sho, but decided against it. With a sigh, he slipped under the covers and turned off the lights.

The bed felt cold and empty and unusually large, so after a few minutes of tossing and turning, Jun got up again to get himself another blanket from the closet. He bunched it up around him, sprawled diagonally across the bed to somehow fill the space.

Alone with his thoughts and anything but tired, he mulled over the evening’s events. Why had it turned out the way it had anyway? Because Sho was a stubborn ass, yes, but there had to be a better explanation…

When his cell lit up, vibrating slightly to signal an incoming message. Without thinking about who could be texting at this late hour when even the agency knew this was his private time, he grabbed his phone and tapped it open.

 _‘Good night. Sweet dreams.’_ It was from Sho.

Huffing, Jun clicked it shut – but had to admit he was smiling, less angry already. Darn, why was it so hard to stay mad at Sho when he really deserved sitting on hot coals waiting for Jun’s forgiveness. 

Slowly counting to ten, he tapped his phone open again and typed a reply: _‘U 2’_

Jun just couldn’t resist using short forms, knowing fully well Mister Kanji hated it, but he deserved teasing now that he had left him all alone in this ridiculously large bed.

The phone vibrated again, signaling another incoming message. _‘Sorry about earlier, I just got frustrated.’_

This time, Jun was quicker to reply. _‘I’m sorry too, I hate fighting with you.’_ He hit send but continued typing. _‘And you DID look cute with your toolbox.’_ Sending his afterthought, he waited for Sho’s reply.

_‘I know. I should think about a career change.’ … ‘But seriously, I thought I could fix it.’_

By now Jun was smiling fondly; had anyone seen him, they would probably have laughed. It took him a bit to reply as he didn’t want to start the whole argument again. On the other hand, he didn’t dare yet to just get up and go to the living room to talk to his boyfriend in person; if he was honest with himself, he was afraid that would somehow spoil the mood again. As long as Sho wasn’t coming over to cuddle, maybe this was the best way to go; this way they wouldn’t blurt out things they would regret later, either.

Eventually, he settled on, _‘Next time, then.’_

_‘If there is a next time. I’m just sick and tired of clearing away all our stuff. After so many years, there’s quite a lot.’_

Jun started typing, then erased it again. Maybe he should just let sleeping dogs lie, at least for tonight. They had fought enough for one day.

_‘Jun?’_

_‘I’m still here. Just a bit tired, that’s all.’_ When he pressed send he looked longingly to the door separating him from Sho. Why was it that their fights sometimes had to get so ugly – over nothing?

_‘Me too. Maybe we should try and get some sleep?’_

_‘Yeah… maybe.’_ Jun sighed, once again. _‘My bed is so empty, I miss you.’_

He could have sworn he could hear Sho chuckle from the other room. _‘You know I’m in the room next door, right?’_

 _‘That’s not the same thing.’_ This time, he made sure to attach a pouty smiley face. _‘I wish you were HERE.’_

 _‘Too late for shouting.’_ Wise ass.

_‘You know what I mean.’_

A beat. Then: _‘Yeah, I do.’_ Another beat. _‘Why don’t you come over here? My thumb’s getting numb from typing already.’_

Jun hesitated. Maybe they should really just get some sleep instead of talking. They had at least kind of made up, even if it wasn’t in person yet. _‘You sure?’_ he finally typed.

_‘What kind of stupid question is that?’_

All right, he sighed, sitting up in bed and throwing back the covers. Without turning on any of the lights, Jun felt his way through the unfamiliar apartment, out the door of the bedroom and into the living room to eventually stand by the couch.

Rather hearing than seeing Sho shift on the sofa, he could make out the outlines of a raised blanket and could hear an inviting pat on the furniture underneath. “C’mon, what’re you waiting for? It’s freezing…” No wonder; as they didn’t live here they had all the radiators set on the minimum.

He didn’t need to be told twice and quickly lay down next to his boyfriend, feeling the blanket close around them and Sho’s arm rest around his waist.

“I’m really sorry, you know? I hate fighting with you.” Hot breath tickled Jun’s neck, but all he did was wiggle a little closer against Sho’s comforting body heat.

“I’m sorry for what I said. About your dad… I’m afraid pigheadedness seems to be a trait of the Sakurai family though…”

“Lousy apology but accepted nonetheless. Try avoiding buts and howevers next time, even the implied ones.”

Despite himself, Jun had to smile. He was mostly glad they were back on speaking terms. And he had to admit that cuddling up to Sho on the couch beat a large, lonely bed any day. “I’ll try to keep that in mind next time.”

“Now don’t get cocky,” he could hear a quiet but amused rumble from behind him.

Sometimes they were both too proud to just say words like sorry or to admit that they had been wrong. Jun knew that. And he was glad there were times like right now between them when they could talk, open and honest.

“I won’t if you won’t either,” he promised with a smile. Biting his lip, he hesitated again – what he had wanted to write earlier and what he was still thinking of… he somehow needed to broach the subject, he knew, and maybe this was the right time for it. “Sho?”

“Yes? You’re not pregnant, are you?”

This actually got a chuckle out of him. “No, but there’s something I’ve been thinking about…”

“Mhmmmmmmmm?” When Jun realized that Sho was about to fall asleep in the middle of their conversation, he poked him in the ribs. “Ouch! I’m all ears, no need for domestic violence. You’ve been thinking about… what?”

“About the apartment,” Jun started hesitantly…

“They fixed it. All we need to do is clean up and trust the shower again. One day.” Jun rolled his eyes and punched Sho again. “Ouch! Stop that!”

“That’s not what I mean and you know it.” Turning around, Jun was now facing Sho, their faces separated by just a few inches but he needed to see or at least guess Sho’s reaction.

“Oh, stop making such a big secret out of it and spill it already, will you?” This time, Sho blocked Jun’s kick.

“About the apartment… I. You know, I also hate preparing it for every single visitor. Or pretending to not live there in the first place. So… maybe it’s time we… you know. Tell the others.”

“Tell the others?” Sho echoed, a lot more skeptical than Jun would have liked him to sound. “I don’t know…”

Well, at east it wasn’t an outright no, he tried to tell himself. “You said it yourself. Getting rid of my stuff every time there’s someone dropping by is a pain in the ass. And… it’s worked out between us so far, so why shouldn’t it work out some more years? We can hardly never tell them, I guess.”

“You sure?” There was the whiny four-year-old again.

“It would be a bit… unfair, don’t you think?”

“Why would it be unfair… it’s not like I don’t want to tell them, taking you speak of Arashi… but if we tell them, we’d have to tell our friends first and I don’t know about you, but I find it incredibly hard where to draw the line, don’t you?” Sho still sounded skeptical and as much as Jun hated to admit it, he had a point.

Jun took his time to answer, he needed to think this over – not often did they talk about this, and if they did, he better wanted to make sure his words counted.

“I know it’s incredibly hard,” he started slowly, mulling over each word twice and three times. “But maybe telling those people we see on an almost daily basis would make things easier. A little, at least? I’m just as scared as you are, believe me. But...”

He could hear Sho’s raised eyebrows. “But? I wouldn’t like anyone blabbing to Julie-san; there’d be hell to pay and we both know it.” A bit more pensively, he added, “And even if I don’t see them on a daily basis, some of my friends would deserve to know the truth a lot more than anyone at the agency.”

“Are you really worried one of the guys would tell Julie?” His words were less an accusation than a statement and he knew where Sho was coming from.

“No, not on purpose or they’d find me really shocked. But if we tell Arashi, don’t we also have to tell the staff as well? I don’t know about you but I see my manager more often than the guys. Or Arashi’s manager, what about Hiroshimoto? They’re still paid by the agency so can you really be sure who their loyalty belongs to?”

Sho had a point and Jun hated to admit it – again. It wasn’t the first time they were running around in circles, after all.

“I... I know. But Sho, five years. Five years! So what’s you plan? Not tell anyone ‘till retirement?” Freezing, he started rubbing his cold feet against Sho’s warm ones, making him squirm a little at the touch.

“Those aren’t toes, they’re ice cubes,” Sho mumbled, seemingly more to himself than to Jun, but his arm around him did draw him a little closer. “Seriously, your circulation’s worse than…”

Jun reveled in the other man’s warmth; he even got to wedge his feet in between his boyfriend’s calves, his sigh almost a purr. “You’re not dodging the question, are you?” he asked as strictly as he could muster, mostly to hide his insecurity. So what was Sho’s plan? 

“We both agreed it’s not an option to leave either Arashi or the jimusho. We do work together, which can sometimes be quite the challenge – not that I’m not up for it; you know me, I love a good challenge… But it’s been five years already and I’m sick and tired of pretending I don’t belong with you. Or you with me, for that matter.”

“First of all, you should be grateful for being able to work with me. I’m incredibly pleasant to be around. And secondly, no, I wasn’t trying to dodge the question but figuring out a way to not freeze to death.”

Like he wasn’t buying time right now. Jun would have said something if it hadn’t been playing right into his boyfriend’s cards. No, he wanted an answer, needed it, and he would get it, no matter what it might be.

“…But yeah, it would be nice to… you know, not even say something but not not say something. It’s tiresome to rephrase everything just to avoid involuntary hints. But…”

Of course, there had to be a but. Discussions like this one always included a but and they ended up not saying anything at all, keeping everything just the way it was. Not that it was a bad thing – Jun was immensely grateful for what he shared with Sho, sometimes unable to believe his luck, but sometimes he just wanted to brag. And enjoy. Mostly, he wanted to enjoy.

“But?”

“…But I wouldn’t tell our managers. If we tell someone, just Arashi. Keep it contained.”

Jun knew better than to ask about Sho’s – actually, both their – reasoning that some of their friends deserved to know before Arashi. Still, he couldn’t keep the stupid grin off his face at the thought of being able to be himself around his closest colleagues at least. “Keep it contained,” he echoed with a nod. “You make it sound like a disease.” A quiet – happy despite all the odds stacked against them – chuckle escaped his lips.

“Well, it can end badly, can’t it?”

Instead of an answer, though, Jun decided to shut him up, lest Sho take it all back. He softly brushed his lips against Sho’s, the tip of his tongue darting out to tease slightly.

Even if this was unfair towards other friends, they had to draw the line somewhere, they both knew. Arashi was containable, practical, yet it would have a notably positive influence on their daily routines. Jun could live with three more people they didn’t have to hide anything from anymore.

But a kiss was all he would get for the night. It was getting rather late and their commute would take them longer than usual due to the apartment-switch. A kiss and a promise, what else could you ask for.

“You’ll see, you won’t regret it.” Happily, Jun gave Sho a final peck on the nose and snuggled up closer to his boyfriend already closing his eyes. He was already half-asleep, hearing the first indications of Sho’s snoring, when he remembered something.

“By the way, you used up all my shampoo.”

Sho just snored a little louder.

“Sakurai I know you’re still awake.”

A stifled laughter proved him right. “Sorry, I'll buy you a new one tomorrow.”


End file.
